Increase of the Density, Temperature and Velocity of Plasma Jets driven by a Ring of High Energy Laser Beams

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method of generating high-density, high-velocity plasma jets using multiple laser beams arranged in a ring, enhancing laboratory astrophysics experiment capabilities.

Contribution

It proposes and demonstrates through simulations that ring-shaped laser beam configurations produce more collimated, denser, and faster plasma jets than traditional single-spot focusing methods.

Findings

Higher plasma density achieved with ring laser configuration

Increased jet velocity and temperature in simulations

Ring radius influences jet properties significantly

Abstract

Supersonic plasma outflows driven by multi-beam, high-energy lasers, such as Omega and NIF, have been and will be used as platforms for a variety of laboratory astrophysics experiments. Here we propose a new way of launching high density and high velocity, plasma jets using multiple intense laser beams in a hollow ring formation. We show that such jets provide a more flexible and versatile platform for future laboratory astrophysics experiments. Using high resolution hydrodynamic simulations, we demonstrate that the collimated jets can achieve much higher density, temperature and velocity when multiple laser beams are focused to form a hollow ring pattern at the target, instead of focused onto a single spot. We carried out simulations with different ring radii and studied their effects on the jet properties. Implications for laboratory collisionless shock experiments are discussed.